Aptis reading Test: General Tips and Strategies

APTIS Reading Part 4: Example Question #1
Part 4: Read the text. Match the headings (A-I) to the paragraphs. The answer to question 0 is an 
example. There is one heading that you will not use. 
(0) The FIFA World Cup is a highly-anticipated international sporting event that happens every 
four years. International football players, or soccer as it is called in North America, spend their 
whole careers training for the opportunity to represent their country. Even citizens who are not the 
biggest sports fans proudly wear their national colours to cheer on their team. It is quite difficult not 
to be swept up in the excitement. 
(1) The inaugural competition was held in Uruguay in 1930. However, it was far smaller than the 
present day. Firstly, only thirteen teams participated, with the majority of those being from South 
America. Moreover, all matches were held in the capital, Montevideo, across the city’s three 
stadiums. While two of these existed prior to the event, they could only accommodate 10,000 to 
20,000 people. Due to this, a third, 
Estadio Centenario, 
was built for an audience of 4.5 times the 
capacity of its predecessors. The tournament culminated in a heated final between the host country 
and Argentina in front of 68,000 live supporters. On home soil, Uruguay became the first World Cup 
champion.
(2) The World Cup looks quite different today. Most remarkably, it has expanded to include a 
thirty-two-team roster, representing all continents. Given this vast increase in participants, it is 
unrealistic for all matches to be held in a singular city. The past two tournaments, in Brazil and 
Russia respectively, saw the inclusion of twelve different stadiums, often thousands of miles apart 
from one another. What’s more, is the size of these venues. Official regulations do not permit the 
grounds to hold less than 45,000 fans. Unlike its modest origin, the event is widely watched and 
looked forward to by billions of people worldwide. During the most recent games in Russia 2018, it 
is estimated that the final match between France and Croatia drew in over a billion viewers. 

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(3) The tournament has seen participants from every corner of the globe. It has been hosted in 17 
different countries on four different continents. The organization embraced its first appearance in 
Africa in South Africa in 2010, while Qatar is set to become the first Middle-Eastern country to host 
the tournament in 2022. Under some circumstances, joint countries may co-host as Japan and South 
Korea did in 2002, and the United States, Canada and Mexico will in 2026. There have also been 
some notable guests along the way. For instance, the world’s smallest nation to join in on the fun 
was Iceland, a nation with only 300,000 inhabitants.
(4) What would sports be without superlatives? Brazil is the current titleholder for most World 
Cups, with a grand total of 5. This South American nation is also the only country to have 
participated in every single tournament since its inception. If coming in second place had an awards 
category, Germany would take the lead with eight appearances in the finals, only having won 50% of 
those matches. Some other important achievements include performances by great athletes including 
Brazil’s Pele, who won the most World Cup trophies by a single player, and Argentina’s Maradona, 
who had the most appearances as a captain. 
(5) Hosting the event is meant to have several financial benefits, including a boost of tourism and 
the creation of jobs in the industrial and service sectors. However, economic waste can follow soon 
after. Let’s consider the 2014 games as an example, where Brazil spent nearly $15 billion on 
developing infrastructure. Shortly after the event, it was reported that several of the multi-million-
dollar stadiums were shut down due to poor construction or have been repurposed as parking lots or 
unsuccessful party locations. Likewise, poor planning of stadium placement has also caused venues 
in the Amazon region to sit vacant without the possibility of local teams or musical artists to use 
them. 
(6) Although Qatar has learned from Brazil’s infrastructure problem and vows to donate parts of 
their unused stadiums to developing countries after the event, the Middle Eastern nation has 
experienced its own share of criticism. Boiling temperatures reaching 45 degrees Celsius have been 
the reason for the shift of the traditionally summer-based tournament to a winter one for the first 
time in history. From a tourism perspective, guests will have to get used to the absence of readily-
available alcoholic beverages and fewer attractions than in previous host nations. Furthermore, 
several human rights complaints such as the treatment of migrant workers, the illegal status of 
homosexuality and its political disconnection to other Middle Eastern nations are also areas of 
concern. 
(7) The issues in Qatar only scratch the surface of what is to come. In 2026, the tournament 
format will increase from 32 to 48 teams. This modification will help to diversify the event, 
granting countries who may not have otherwise qualified the chance to participate. Additionally, as 
the world continues to grow and change, FIFA should continue to focus more efforts to make the 
games more sustainable and ethical. 
A. Inclusivity of Nations 
B. Controversial Issues 
C. The Tournament in Modern Day 
D. Overall enthusiasm 
E. Record Holders 
F. Economic Strain 
G. An Uncertain Situation 
H. The Future of The World Cup 
I. Humble Beginnings 
0.
D
1. _____ 
2. _____ 
3. _____ 
4. _____ 

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5. _____ 
6. _____ 
7. _____